Recipe: Beef & Blean Bean Relish Tostadas

Tostadas are going to become a staple in our household.

They are super easy to make and the ways to make them are limitless.

Here's what I made last week for dinner:

Beef & Black Bean Relish Tostadas

Ingredients:

Tostada Shells

Sour Cream

Shredded Lettuce

Shredded pepperjack or cheddar cheese

1 lb. cooked ground beef

1 package of taco seasoning

Black Bean Corn Relish (recipe below)

Cilantro for garnish

Black Bean Corn Relish:

1 Can of Black Beans

1 Can of Sweet Corn

1 Can Rotel Tomatoes (any kind)

1/4 Cup Chopped Red Onion

1/4 Cup Chopped Green Onion

1 Tbl. Chopped Cilantro

Juice of 1/2 Lime

3 Tbl. honey

4 Tbl. White Vinegar

1/2 Tbl. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Dash of cumin

Directions:

Make black bean and corn relish.

Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside in fridge.

Cook's Tip: The relish gets better and better when sets in fridge.

Preheat medium skillet to medium heat.

Add ground beef and cook until browned.

Drain and add taco seasoning (follow directions on pkg.)

Start layering your tostada.

Spread sour cream over entire tostada shell.

Top with layer of seasoned ground beef.

Top with layer of shredded cheese.

Top with layer of black bean and corn relish.

Top with layer of shredded lettuce.

See? The amount of layers you put are endless!

Enjoy,

Ideas for Creating Your Own Family Fun Time

LEGO wants to know what kinds of activities we take part in to create some family fun time at our household. There are several different things that we love to do!

FAMILY FUN TIME ACTIVITIES:

Eat Dinner Every Weeknight Together. Since I'm a busy mom, I plan ahead and cook meals through the week that only take about 30-40 minutes to cook so that I can enjoy the rest of my evening with my family. We all sit down at the dinner table and talk about what exciting things happend that day.

Take a Daily Walk in the Neighborhood Together. After dinner and before my son's bedtime, we take a daily walk around the neighborhood (unless it's raining). Since my son is only two years old, we take him either in a stroller or a backpack carrier. We have a mile long walk mapped out so we know we are getting in our dainly exercise too.

Play Board Games. My husband is a huge gamer. We have lots of board games, video games, and electronic games. Sometimes we invite friends over and have a friendly match against each other. We mix it up every week so it never gets boring!

Watch Movies Together. On Saturdays, we like to watch movies and make our own pizza at home. One of us gets to pick the type of movie we watch so we all get a chance to see something we like.  It makes for a much better time "at the movies."

Visit Local Parks. My family loves to visit parks where we live so we can hike, camp, picnic and ride our bikes. When we go to the park, we usually bring along lots of games to play.  If we stay overnight, we like to cook out on the fire and at night tell fun stories while we listen to music.

What are some family fun activities that you like to do? 

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and LEGO blogging program, making me eligible to get a prize pack. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Recipe: Chicken, Prosciutto & Provolone Panini w/ Basil Mayo

I am getting more adventurous in the kitchen.

I have always loved ciabatta bread so I decided

to make an italian-inspired panini for dinner!

Now, I don't have a panini grill so I improvised.

See how I did it, below.

I've never used some of these ingredients before but overall

I think it turned out pretty good for my first try.

Here's what I made and how much it cost:

Chicken, Prosciutto & Provolone Panini w/ Basil Mayo

Ingredients:

Ciabatta Sandwich Rolls (4) - $2.99

Prosciutto (8 very thin slices at deli counter) - $2.73

Provolone Cheese (1/4 lb. sliced thin at deli counter) - $1.36

Fresh Basil (about 8-10 leaves) - $2.32

Cooked Chicken Breast (about 4 tenderloins per sandwhich) - $0 (on hand already)

1 Cup Mayonnaise - $0 (had in fridge already)

salt n pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small food processor, add mayo, basil leaves and salt n pepper.

I used about 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.

Cook's Tip: You can add half a lemon's juice to this if you have one on hand.

Pulse until fully combined together and basil is fully incorporated.

Preheat grill pan on medium heat.

Meanwhile, cut ciabatta rolls in half.

Spread basil mayo on each half.

Layer the ingriedents on bottom half of ciabatta roll.

First the cooked chicken, then sliced prosciutto and sliced provolone.

Top with other half of ciabatta roll.

Add about 1/2 Tbl. of olive oil to grill pan so it doesn't stick.

Cook's Tip: I brushed the oil on with a basting brush.

Now, add the sandwhich to the grill.

To press the sandwhich, I took a cast iron skillet

and weighted it down with several cans of beans.

I saw this on Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals one time.

This is how it looked after I loaded down the pan:

Now, cook the panini for about 3 minutes on each side.

Keep the pan weighted down after you flip the sandwhich.

Cut the panini in half and serve warm.

Here it is in all it's glory!

Here's what I would do to make it even better:

*Instead of using prosciutto, I will make it next time with pancetta (italian bacon)

*I will try it with sliced mozzerella instead of provolone

*I will only cook it about 2-3 minutes each side

*I will add lemon juice to the basil mayo and maybe minced garlic

Total Cost: Dinner for Four

$2.35 per person!

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out!

Happy Cooking,

Quick Giveaway: Safeway and Box Tops for Education!

**CONTEST NOW CLOSED**

I love nothing more than when companies give back, especially towards our children's education. The Safeway family of stores (Dominick's Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons and Genuardi's) helps you give back cash to your local schools! There are "2 Ways to Earn" cash for your schools with Box Top Education and the "10% Goes Back to Schools" program.

Box Tops for Education has already given away over $320 MILLION to help over 69,000 participating schools!

It's so easy to earn cash for your schools by looking for the "10% Goes back to Schools" yellow bus tags on over 2,000 different items throughout Safeway from August 11 - September 14, 2010. When you use your Club Card, Safeway will give 10% of the purchase price to the local school of your choice!



Here's how it works:

• Check your receipt from August 11 - September 14, 2010. The total will be updated each time you shop.
• Beginning on September 18, a redemption code will be printed at the bottom of your receipt.
• Visit backtoschools.escrip.com before October 13 to choose your favorite participating local school, then simply enter your redemption code to make your donation.

See, it's that easy! To learn more about this program, visit http://www.2ways2earn.com/. While you're there, enter the Safeway Bonus Box Tops Sweepstakes for a chance to win 1,000 Bonus Box Tops for your local school!

Check out Box Tops for Education on facebook to get the latest news from Box Tops.

Congrats to... Stasha (ohiochik28@...)Giveaway Prize: One Texa$aver reader will win a Safeway Box Tops for Education prize pack which includes a $25 Safeway Gift Card and Bonus Box Tops Certificate worth 50 Box Tops!

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which Box Tops for Education products you'll like to purchase with your Safeway Gift Card. For a list of products, go here.

Additional Entries (after Mandatory Entry is completed):

1) Follow Texa$aver on Facebook. If you already follow, leave a comment telling me so. (+1 additional entry)

2) Subscribe to the Texa$aver newsletter via email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment telling me so. (+3 additional entries)

3) Follow Texa$aver on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. You can use the sample tweet:

"@texasaver is giving away a $25 Safeway Gift Card! http://tiny.cc/bw2im #myblogspark & Box Tops for Education #giveaway" Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (+5 additional entries!)

That's a total of 10 possible entries to win the giveaway!


Open to U.S only. Please leave a comment for each additional entry. Giveaway ends on September 1, 2010 at 11:59 CST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be announced on the Giveaways page. Winner will also be contacted by email. Be sure that texasaver@yahoo is on your safe sender list as you don't want to miss the email if you are chosen as the winner. Winner will have 5 days to respond to me by email before another winner will be chosen. The prize will be provided to the winner directly from MyBlogSpark.


Disclosure: The $25 Safeway Gift Card, Bonus Box Tops Certificate, information and giveaway were provided to me by Safeway and General Mills through MyBlogSpark. Opinions are 100% mine.

I Just Got 176 Diapers for $10.34! Here's How...

Hurry! Don't miss out on this amazing deal!
Have a little one in diapers? Going to a baby shower soon?

I just got 176 diapers delivered to my door yesterday.
I only paid $10.34! That's only 5cents a diaper!

How? It was really easy.
Bloggers are saying this is the diaper deal of the year, so get on it now!

I bought the diapers through Amazon and used their online coupon codes as well as a tear-out orange post card located in several magazines. They were stacked up with each other in order to get the BEST savings!

I ordered Pampers diapers but you can do this with Huggies, Seventh Generation and even cloth diapers!

First, you will need to aquire as many discount codes as you can get your hands on.
There is a tear-out orange postcard located in each of the following magazines for a 20% off one-time use, discount code for amazon.com:

1.Parents (August 2010) – code starts with “A”

2.Parenting, the Early Years (August 2010) – code starts with “X”
3.Parents (September 2010) – code starts with “W”
4.Parenting, the Early Years (September 2010) - code starts with “S

Note: You can stack each of the codes together in your order however you can't stack two codes from the same issue (i.e. two discount codes from the August 2010 Parents magazine). Try getting at least one or two codes from these magazines and you will still save at least 50% off your purchase!

Second, start your purchase. Go to the Amazon Coupon Page and click on the $1.50/1 Pampers Diapers.

Click on the coupon. It will take you to the products that it can be used on. I chose the Pampers Baby Dry Diapers, Size 4, 176 - Count since that is what my baby uses. Do not add the diapers to your cart.

Click on the detail link of the product so that you can "Subscribe and Save" which will bring your discount up even more! Right now, Amazon is providing a 30% off "Subscribe and Save" discount on these items until August 31, 2010. Click on Subscribe and Save and your delivery preference. Don't worry, you can cancel this subscription after the product is delivered to your door.

Enter the Magazine Discount Codes.

Each code that you apply towards your purchase will take off an additional 20% off the original purchase price of the diapers.

I only had two magazine codes so here's my breakdown on my order:
Item(s) Subtotal: $39.49

Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Promotion Applied: -$11.85 [Subscribe & Save]
Promotion Applied: -$7.90 [Parenting Mag. Code]
Promotion Applied: -$7.90 [Parents Mag. Code]
Your Coupon Savings: -$1.50 [Amazon online coupon]
-----
Total Before Tax: $10.34
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $10.34

That's a 74% SAVINGS!!!!

I want to thank Crazy Coupon Mommy for showing me exactly how to do it. If ya'll haven't seen her blog yet, go check it out here.
 
 
Happy Shopping!

Lavera Baby & Children Sun Screen Review

The generous people at Lavera provided me a product to review so I could tell you all about it! Sunscreen is part of my everyday routine so I am always looking for the best products out there for my fair-skinned family.

Who is Lavera?

Lavera makes 100% natural, chemical-free sunscreen for maximum UVA/UVB protection. When it comes to sunblock, everyone wants the best protection and Lavera makes it possible with its line of suncare products. Lavera uses Europe's strict regulations and the highest natural standards to bring U.S. consumers a uniquely safe, effective and natural sunscreen option. Lavera was recently awarded the title of "Greenest Beauty Brand" for the second consecutive year beating out 32 other companies. For more information visit http://www.lavera.com/.

What did I get?

Lavera Baby & Children Sunscreen Lotion SPF 20

What do I think of Lavera Baby & Children Sunscreen Lotion?
I am an avid sunscreen wearer.  With fair skin, it's a staple in my house. There are so many sunscreens on the market so when I wear sunscreen it has to offer complete protection for my family. I applied this sunscreen on myself and my two year old boy before we went outside in 100 degree hot Texas weather for a bike ride. My favorite thing about this sunscreen is that you can apply it right before you go outside. It doesn't have to soak in for 20-30 minutes! It activates immediately, so you can apply it on and go directly outside. I LOVED that! No more waiting around for your sunscreen to kick in. Also, it provided protection against UVA, UVB and UVC! That's pretty amazing. While we were on the bike ride, we got sprayed by unsuspecting yard sprinklers and I noticed that the water immediately beeded on my skin.  The sunscreen was completely waterproof. The sunscreen goes on very thick and unless you rub it in very well, you will see some white residue on your skin.  However, I'm not bothered by that at all. The product also had a light fragrance and wasn't overpowering. It was very pleasing to wear and it will be something I will have in my bag at all times now when we go outside!
 How can you get your own Lavera Sun Care Product?

The Lavera Sun Collection products are available at Target stores nationwide, target.com and Ulta and lavera.com and retails for around $26. The collection includes the Baby & Children Sun Screen SPF 20, Anti-Aging Sun Screen SPF 15 and Self Tanner for Body.

Disclosure: I was provided a sample of the product to facilitate this review at no cost and was not compensated for reviewing this sample. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine. Thank you to the generous people at Lavera for providing me the sample.

Win a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

I love me some giveaways!

Especially these high dollar gift card giveaways.

One Savvy Mom! is giving away a $250 Amazon Gift Card to two winners!

Contest ends on on August 30, 2010.

Go here to enter.  I did!

It's so easy to enter, totally worth 5 seconds to win $250!

Juppy Baby Walker - Review & Giveaway (over at Survey Junkie)

Stacy over at Survey Junkie was on the search for new product reviewers a while ago

and I got chosen to review products for her site!  I will mainly be reviewing family-friendly

products primarily geared towards babies and toddlers.

I had another great product to review for Survey Junkie.

 It's called the Juppy Baby Walker.

Here's Calan, my test subject:

Go check out my review and enter for a chance to win one of your own!